History of a local convenience

There's been a lot of interest in Audlem's public toilets and many may be interested in their history.

In fact my company 'Clifford Taylor and Co' built the toilets during the 1970s. We had our offices and yard at Heathfield Road (then known as Hen Lane).

We tendered for the contract from the Nantwich Rural District Council. The design architect was Clifford Marsden and the work was supervised by the then Building Inspector William (Bill) Burrows.

The on-site work was carried out by my late partner Clifford Taylor, aided by our local craftsmen, George Ratcliffe, Harold and Derek Hankey, Roy Parker, John Hassall, with the late William (Bill) Foden and others.

During these years we were responsible for building the first eight of the old people's bungalows off Cheshire Street. Also those were the years that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries were lending their weight and their grants to the modernization of the local dairy farms.  We did many of these conversions.

It is sad that many of these buildings have now been demolished as the local dairy industry has contracted.

However, we can still be pleased that all the houses, roads and sewers we designed and built are still in current use, and grateful that the public toilets have gained a new lease on life.

All those years ago, I could not have imagined the mischief generated by the passage of time -for now I am of that age when the frequent attendance at the public toilets is paramount!

Before I conclude I will tell you  a story concerning the original construction of the toilets which I assure you is quite true.

On the morning that the work began, a lady of considerable consequence (who shall remain nameless) was making purposeful strides in the direction of the village centre on what was clearly a shopping expedition.

On reaching a spot adjacent to what then was Bill the Barber's, she suddenly stopped, having observed the activity on the opposite side of the road.

"Aah Mr Taylor," she said "are you building a house."

"Well yes, Madam, in a manner of speaking we are". 

"Oh! what sort of a house?"

"Well madam, it will be a s--t house"

At this point she stamped her walking stick upon the pavement and strode off in high dudgeon, leaving behind a gang of chuckling builders.

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